This invention is a portable barbeque grill.
Outdoor activities such as camping have gained popularity among people of all age groups. Tailgating outside of a stadium parking lot before a football or baseball game has become a pre-game ritual for fans across the country. Spending a sunny day at the beach or the park is one of the simple pleasures in life that can be shared by a family or group of friends. All such activities share one commonality, eating. The barbeque grill is typically the Mecca around which these activities are performed. Watching the burning fire exuding off the coals while smelling the cooking aroma of a steak or sausage enhances the enjoyment of the activity.
The transportation of a grill to and from a remote location is, however, a burdensome task, one which may outweigh the good of barbequing. What is needed is a barbeque grill that is easy to transport prior and subsequent to its use and which does not create a significant mess or inconvenience during the transportation process.
Another problem associated with small, portable barbeque grills is the dissipation of heat. In a picnic type setting, such grills can char the surface, such as a wooden table, upon which they are placed. Additionally, subsequent to their use, the grills cannot be placed back into the car until after a prolong duration of time has elapsed to allow the grill to cool down. Accordingly, what is needed is a small barbeque grill that cools off more rapidly and that does not singe the surface upon which it is placed if used for a reasonable duration of time. Other additional functional features include a grill which is easy to clean and maintain and which can be transported without difficulty.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a portable barbeque grill is provided, comprising a firebox for containing a burning element such as coal. A housing unit contains the firebox such that the firebox is positioned at a distance away from the housing unit to create a gap between the burning element and the housing unit.
In one embodiment, the housing unit comprises a front wall, a rear wall, sidewalls, and a bottom wall and the firebox comprises a front wall, a rear wall and side walls, the walls of the firebox being positioned at a distance away from the respective walls of the housing unit. The firebox can also include a platform assembly supporting the walls of the firebox for elevating the walls of the firebox at a position above the bottom wall of the housing unit. The platform can have a grid-like structure for allowing residues of the burning element to fall within the housing unit on top of the bottom wall. The platform can be defined by a grid-like base and a pair of opposing flanges extending from the base for elevating the grid-like base above the bottom wall of the housing.
In accordance with another embodiment, the firebox comprises a front wall, a rear wall, sidewalls, and a bottom wall and flanges extending from the corners where the front wall and the rear wall meet the sidewalls for creating a gap between the walls of the firebox and the walls of the housing unit. The flanges can extend beyond the bottom wall of the firebox for elevating the bottom wall of the firebox above the bottom wall of the housing unit. At least one of the walls of the firebox can contain a plurality of holes.
A lid can be pivotally connected to the rear wall for releasably locking to the front wall for enclosing the open top of the housing unit. The lid can comprise a handle bar for allowing a user to transport the portable barbeque grill when the lid is in a locked position. In one embodiment, the lid, in an open state, does not extend beyond a generally vertical position for blocking the wind from blowing onto the firebox. In accordance with another embodiment, the lid, in an open position, does not extend beyond a generally horizontal position for allowing a user to place food or barbeque tools on an inside face of the lid. In such an embodiment, the portable grill can include a support rod extending from the lid for supporting the lid against the surface upon which the portable barbeque grill is placed. The support rod prevents the barbeque grill from tipping over if food or barbeque tools are placed on the inside face of the lid.
In accordance with another embodiment, the lid can include a first lid section pivotally connected to the rear wall and a second lid section pivotally connected to the front wall. The first and second lid sections can pivotally come together to enclose the open top of the housing unit.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, the portable grill includes legs extending from the housing unit for elevating the housing unit above a surface upon which the housing unit is placed.
A heat shield can be coupled to the bottom wall of the housing unit or, alternatively, to the legs and positioned at a distance away from a bottom surface of the bottom wall. The heat shield prevents the surface upon which the housing unit is placed from charring when the portable grill is used for a reasonable duration of time.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention a portable grill is provided, comprising a housing unit of a sufficiently small dimension for allowing a user to conveniently carry the portable grill with one hand to a remote outdoor location. The grill includes a heat shield positioned at a distance away from an undercarriage of the housing unit for creating a thermal gap between the undercarriage and the heat shield.